Otrupon Ojuani

His mother saved him

There was a man whose body felt heavy, and he had to attend a party but did not dare to go, because his mother had sent him to the house of Orunmila and Orunmila marked him ebbo with: aikordie and yarako (a leather strap), esushu meyi and owo la meta. The man paid no heed and went to the party. But his mother, knowing of his misconduct, made the ebbo before her son arrived. And so he was able to be delivered from Oggún (oshipa guele).

The path of the four awoses

On this path there were four awoses, and Ayan Kolo Kolo, who was Elegbá, never did anything nor helped anyone. One day those four awoses went to eat fufu de ishu, and near them was Ayan Kolo Kolo, watching them. Suddenly it was seen that Ayan Kolo Kolo was reaching in and taking fufu de ishu, so the iyalofun moved to stop him, caught his hand and said to him: «you did not help me when I made ebbo». Ayan Kolo Kolo, ashamed, rose and went out to the street door and said: «there is no Iyalosha here, nor anything». Iyalofun answered him: «yes, here there is Iyalosha and awoses too». Ayan Kolo Kolo said: «tell them that I am here». Then, from what was left over on the plates, they sent it out to the door, but first they said: «Ago Eshu agogoro»; that is the Elegbá who lives behind the door, and he eats with Eshu Ayan Kolo Kolo. From that moment on, Ayan Kolo Kolo went on eating the leftovers at the door and also began to help the awoses and Iyaloshas.

Elegbá is placed at the door and is given eyele (note: to be verified) together with the pots holding the leftover food.

The mocking parrot

A parrot was travelling aboard a ship, and the ship struck the reefs and began to sink. The parrot climbed to the highest mast and watched everyone drown, and she delighted in it and mocked them, but she did not know that she would meet the very same fate.

Orunmila and the war against the mayomberos

Orunmila was in constant war with the mayomberos, who challenged him and were always defeated by him. One day Orunmila had a reading of Ifá made for himself and the oddun came out intori araye (strife), so Ifá told him to make an ebbo and to hold a great feast in honour of Bogbo Osha, with plenty of food and drink. Meanwhile the mayomberos, weary of being defeated, decided to ask their masters in another land for help, and those masters advised them to send three eggun to Orunmila’s feast, well dressed so that they would pass among the guests.

On the day of the feast, Orunmila’s house was full of people, but his faithful companion, Elegbá, never stopped watching over him. When the eggun arrived at the feast, obeying the orders of the mayomberos, they looked for Orunmila to kill him. Elegbá, however, discovered them and warned Orunmila. Despite Elegbá’s warning, Orunmila refused to believe that the eggun were a threat and answered him excitedly that it could not be so. He then pointed to the eggun to show that there was no danger, but Elegbá was annoyed and told him that he was going to prove them wrong.

Elegbá went swiftly towards the eggun and pulled off their masks. Once uncovered, everyone could see that they were mayomberos in disguise, and the eggun fled. Thanks to Elegbá, his faithful friend, Orunmila was able to save his life.

These sent eggun have many characteristics, and they are also carriers of various illnesses that they transmit, such as madness, paralysis, and so on.

It speaks of ailments of the spine and of sexual decline.

The great secret of ewe

On this path, in the land of Ñare Ifá, lived Molala Ni Aba, who held the great secret of Ewe, and that was what the omo of the land of Ñari Inle Imbara ate. Ikú came for the omo of that land and saw them so disfigured and in such poor state that they bore the disfigurement of the goat; Ikú would leave, because those omo lasted only a short time. Each time Molala Ni Aba saw Ikú arrive he would begin to sing: “Sheberekun Cun Eggun Ekun Lorun Moyebiku Eggun Ikú Lorun”. Ikú would leave, because Molala Ni Aba marked them with Osun. And such was the struggle Molala Ni Aba had in his land that he could bear it no longer, so he had an osode made and his sign came out, Otrupon Ñao Onibalofun, and he lit for Obatalá the sixteen lamps of almond oil with cocoa butter and cascarilla; and while he was doing this, convulsions came over him and Elegbá appeared to him, coming with an owunko and a cowbell in his hand, saying: “Abani Molala Abani Molalam Abani Molala”.

He was startled to see Elegbá and told him everything that was happening. Elegbá said to him: «my boy, the trouble is that your land has no food and is starving; the omo here cannot go on like this». They finished speaking, and just then a very loud noise was heard: it was Ikú, arriving by surprise and singing: “Molile Ikú Omo Ala Loleo Molile Ikú Omo Ala Loleo Eggun Omo Loleo.” Elegbá, hearing that, tied the cowbell to the goat and set it loose; and Death, hearing it, ran off, because on hearing her the omo of that land wanted to take their own lives. «We must set out on the road», Elegbá told him, to reach the land of Orishaoko, which was the land of Ñare Ifá, the land that Orunmila and Ifá had handed over to Orishaoko, who had everything, above all ishu, though in this land all his omo were disfigured.

As Elegbá and Molala went towards the land of Orishaoko they went singing along the way, carrying two coconuts in each hand, and Elegbá played the cowbell and sang: “Eee Orishaoko Dide Baba Koreo Kanlugua”. Orishaoko, hearing this, took a dove; they knelt before him and he fed the head of Molala. At once they stood up and paid him Moforibale. Elegbá began to weep, and Molala Orishaoko said: enough now! what is it you need? Molala explained to him the state of his land, and Orishaoko said to them: «you must sleep here today so that I may go with you». He took them out by night, fed all his plantings, and gave etu and eyele to the land; the next day Orishaoko took ishu and bogbo ere, loaded malun and went to the bank of the river, and in a pot of water, with eya tuto meyi from the river, they carried it to the land of Gayeri Ifá, going along singing and scattering all the way: “ Ounyen lli Gorio Ounyen Lli Gorio Inle Faun Oyun Omo Fun Emi “.

For he went ploughing the land with his power, and the land began to be fertile, the waters came and there was abundance; but what was eaten most there was ishu, and the Malu began to breed every day. Orishaoko stayed there for a year helping Elegbá and Molala; the sickness lessened and the omo already felt stronger and healthier, above all the obini. Birds and fish came to the river, and there were plenty of fish to eat. Elegbá said: this can be eaten! Orishaoko said: «well, I must be going, because this has been an example to me of why I must give food to every land». Aba Molala did not want Orishaoko to leave, and neither did Elegbá. Elegbá explained the need to Orishaoko, but he had to go. It has been a year since Ikú last came here and there is peace; the moment you leave me, she will come.

Elegbá and Orishaoko ate the goat they had, and while they were eating it they heard a very great noise and a chant: “ Ikú lAlo Malolun Ikú Lalo Malolun Ikú Magua Malolun.” Elegbá and Orishaoko ran out and with Osun they painted the omo of that land; Orishaoko was the painter. They painted the goat and set it at the entrance to the settlement, and Ikú, when she saw this, said: «here everyone has life». They came out, and Elegbá and Orishaoko seized Ikú and made her kneel before Molala so that she would swear that all the omo of that land must die of old age; and so Ikú swore it.

A great feast was held for Orishaoko, Elegbá and Ikú, and the omo of those lands, all kneeling and giving Moforibale, sang and prayed: “Shebelekun Loleo Eggun Abana Niku Omo Shalu Uleo Shebe Lekun Loleo”. Lush ishu began to grow, and just then Ifá (Orunmila) arrived: this must never cease to be eaten in this land of Osha and Ifá, for ishu is the one that has blood to lengthen life.

ITUTO: carob ash, plantain leaves, ekute, ila, guabina, an otá, 16 guinea peppers, siempreviva, yagua palm.

The barrenness of Obba

When Obba and Shangó married, time passed and they could not have children. Faced with this, Obba decided to go and see Orunmila, who made her osode and saw this Ifá, and said to them: «where you live, which is on the bank of a river that bears her own name, there is an eggun who will not let you have children; his name is Konibire and he lives in one of the streams that flow into that river». Orunmila told them they had to make a rogation with (what is listed above).

Obba gathered everything needed for the rogation and took it to Orunmila’s house. There Orunmila carried out the rogation: the akuko he gave to Eshu; the owunko he gave to Oshún at the river together with the adie; the kuekueye he gave to eggun Konibire at the mouth of the stream; and the oduara he washed with ewe afoma and scraped it, drawing iye from it, which she had to drink on an empty stomach for nine days, bathing with ewe tete boru for nine days.

Thus Obba was able to overcome the influence the eggun Konibire held, and she was able to give children to Shangó.

When Obba is to be received, the ceremony of the adie at the river and that of the duck at the stream must be performed, and ewe tete boru must be gathered to wash her when she is to be born.

Where Shangó makes war for his son

Shangó complained because his son had been left abandoned, and to live he had to endure great hardship and had to be forever fighting, and everything had been done wrongly to him; and Shangó gives notice that from today he will make war for his son and will call to account all those to blame for his son’s setbacks, and will not allow them to go on harming him.